There’s a new approach to connecting with customers that generates nearly 8 times more unique site traffic, costs significantly less than traditional marketing, and delivers three times the leads.

How do you connect with consumers today? Do you run TV ads? Only 2% of customers remember them. Maybe print ads? Blast E-mails? All of these things are designed to create awareness and push out a singular, controlled message to the masses.

Bad news. They don’t work.

Those types of marketing efforts are designed around creating awareness and starting those consumers down a traditional sales funnel. The problem? This path was created in 1898. Well before the internet and this path is no longer relevant to the overwhelming majority of your customers.

In fact, 87% of customers now travel a less linear, more complex path to purchase.

[alert type=white ]The Sales Funnel Is Gone[/alert]

Think of what’s available to them! A plethora of information, research options, data at their fingertips whether they’re buying moving boxes or property insurance. They don’t even need to go anywhere to access this information. It lives in their pocket. The access to information simply changes everything – starting with how we as companies and brands connect with and communicate with consumers.

Only 13% say they care about “exploring options”

68% say “it’s more about me. What I’m feeling.”

What matters to consumers is….themselves.

The linear path is dead. In the age of content, information, and accessibility – consumers now want a journey that’s catered to their own wants and needs. That feels like a unique experience just for them. And it’s not a path.

How to implement: One example on how to successfully identify what your customers care about is through data. An easy example of this is around their address. If you have a bank of customers - you likely have the address of those customers on file. There is data available that will alert you to when that property goes on the market. Now you know something valuable about that customer – you know they are thinking of moving and likely their move is something they care a lot about.

So start identifying your customers based on what they care about.

PERSONALIZATION: Make sure your message is addressing them personally.

How to implement: Let's continue with the existing example. Use data to identify when a person is moving and send them a piece of content directly related to the property they’re thinking about all the time. You think that might get a response? So you’ve identified something that consumer cares about and you’ve delivered a personal message to them based on that intelligence. This type of strategic approach really starts to connect to consumers.

PULL IT ALL TOGETHER: Create a holistic consumer experience

How to implement: Once you’ve identified what a specific customer cares about and personalized a message to them, you need to have a clear path of what you want them to do next. The reason for any marketing is to generate sales, so complete the cycle here. In that same example, you can drive that customer from an e-mail to a landing page that has more in-depth content on what they care about and easy way for them to contact you for what you’re selling.

Now in order to create something like this or the custom e-mail we displayed earlier- you need data-driven content. That’s something that Onboard specializes in and I would love to discuss with you further.

Today’s marketing isn’t about your brand. It’s about your customer. Put them first and results will follow.

Watch the full webinar to learn how to bring these results and methods to your company!